New Motorino Pizzeria in Dubai (interior shot) (PRNewsfoto/JA Resorts & Hotels)

JA Resorts & Hotels, one of Dubai’s longest-serving homegrown hospitality brands, has announced its growth and expansion plans. It includes adding over 30 properties in China targeting millennials, as well as 10 new Food & Beverage concepts set to open in 2019. Also, collaborations with international chefs of Michelin star acclaim are in the pipeline.

In partnership with Novel International Group, a Shanghai investment fund, JA Resorts & Hotels are forming JA Novel Hospitality China, and through this partnership will be acquiring buildings to be retrofitted, renovated or completed as hotels in two distinctions.

The first is upper upscale hotels which will be branded as JA Hotels and the second segment is upper midscale lifestyle hotels branded as ‘Big Bed by JA’ and targeted at millennials. For the upper upscale hotels, the company is currently exploring 3 property options in 5-6 areas over the coming years. The vision for the Big Bed brand or Dà chuáng in Chinese, is to roll out 30 units by 2024 – spread across various Chinese cities.

JA Resorts & Hotels revealed plans to expand the portfolio of eight distinct properties across the UAE and Indian Ocean, with another two luxury lodges providing a total of 60 rooms. One luxury lodge will be in the Serengeti National Park and the other in the Ngorogoro Conservency. The group are also exploring multiple options in Sri Lanka.

Ten new restaurants are set to open in 2019 alongside three collaborations with international chefs of Michelin star acclaim, in a year of rapid transformation for JA Resorts & Hotels. Collaborations include JA Manafaru Maldives and China’s most renowned chef Da Dong, whose restaurants have multiple Michelin stars, Lebanese Australian Chef Greg Malouf, who has three Chefs Hat awards featuring in two Dubai properties and Indian celebrity chef, Vikas Khanna, opening a new restaurant in JA Lake View Hotel.